Resting Place
by KateMarie999
Summary: Hiccup and Astrid are reunited with their daughter, Kara, and her new friend, Sven, as Berk goes to war with the Outcasts and the Berserkers. As the battles rage, they discover some horrifying secrets about each other and about their enemies. Will anything ever be the same again? Sequel to Fight or Flight and Pirate's Cove. DISCONTINUED!
1. Prologue: Premature

_Welcome to the final story in the trilogy! I've enjoyed writing it and I'm sure you've enjoyed reading it._

**Prologue: Premature**

The pain was blinding. She could hear nothing but her own ragged gasps for air and the occasional scream that came from somewhere deep inside of her.

"Push, Astrid, _push_!"

Astrid cried out again, partially from the pains but mostly out of anguish. _This couldn't be happening_! She hadn't gained enough weight. She had only just begun to feel movements. It was too soon.

"I can't do this!" she wailed, panting and covered in sweat. "It's not time yet!"

"I'm sorry but it's too late now." The midwife explained, looking very calm.

"Where's Hiccup?" she gasped. "He should be here. Where is he?"

The midwife shook her head. "I don't know. We've already sent Ruffnut looking for him. There isn't any more we can do."

Astrid lay back on the pillow, tears flowing from her eyes. She screamed as another wave of overwhelming pain took over her body. She had never felt pain like this before. There was no escape from it.

"_Push_, Astrid!" the midwife prompted.

It wasn't as though she had any choice. She felt helpless to her body's instincts. If only Hiccup could be here. Throughout their marriage, she had always been the strong one. Now she felt helpless and terrified. All she wanted was her husband to kiss her and tell her everything was going to be all right.

"That's it! It's almost here!" the midwife exclaimed.

The room was spinning. The pains were beginning to take over completely. She felt oddly disconnected from her body. Before she had recovered from the last, another contraction hit her so hard, she gasped for air.

"He's here!" the midwife said, her voice oddly strangled.

_It's a boy_. Astrid lay back down as the pain receded.

It was completely silent. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. The midwife looked horrified for a moment, grabbing a knife and slicing through the umbilical cord.

"Is he okay?" Astrid asked at last when the midwife stood up, holding her son. "Why isn't he crying?"

But the midwife didn't answer. She sprinted into the other room, the baby in her arms.

"What's wrong?" Astrid cried.

She tried to get up but her shaking arms wouldn't support her weight. She lay back down and stared at the ceiling, taking deep breaths. The pains lessened considerably. At the very least, she was relieved.

The door flew open and Hiccup, soaked from the rain outside, hurried over to his wife.

"Astrid!" he fell to his knees and took her hand in his. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea!"

She shook her head. "Hiccup, something's wrong with our baby."

He looked up at the other room. It was awfully silent in there. Gripped with terror, he looked back at his wife. Her face was completely pale. He hoped she hadn't lost too much blood.

"Everything… everything's going to be fine." He leaned down and kissed her pale cheek, trying to act as though he really believed what he was saying.

The midwife emerged and from the look on her face, they knew it wasn't good news.

"I'm so sorry." she said very quietly, purposefully avoiding their gaze. "I did everything I could. He was… he was too small."

He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be a father now. They were going to raise this baby together. He couldn't bring himself to speak; he felt as though the floor had dropped and he was falling through nothingness.

"What… how…" Astrid asked, still breathing heavily.

"It's… customary to give him a burial." The midwife said, still avoiding their eyes. "I'll wrap him up. You should wait until tomorrow. It's too dark outside."

Hiccup got out the baby blankets he had carried with him since he had found out Astrid was pregnant. He had always wanted to feel like his baby was close to him even when he wasn't able to be close to Astrid. He handed her the one they would have given their child if it was a boy. She looked at the blanket.

"That would have been a great name." she said, staring at the sewn letters.

He nodded, placing the blanket he would have used had it been a girl in his pocket. He didn't want to think about what he would do with it now.

"I'll wrap him in this. You should get some sleep, Astrid. There's a chair for you, Hiccup." She pointed over to a nearby chair and turned to take the blanket into the other room. She then walked away, probably to prepare their tiny son for burial.

As soon as she left, Astrid and Hiccup stared at each other. She was still breathing heavily. He kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, holding her head in his arms as a few tears slipped out of her eyes.

"Don't." she whispered back. "Not now."

He nodded and kissed her on the forehead. His arms tightened around her. He knew the next few months were going to be the most painful he'd ever had but he was going to be strong. It was her turn to lean on him. Nothing would _ever _be the same again.

* * *

**Twenty Years Later**

* * *

Astrid heard her husband's footsteps long before she saw him bounding to the house, his dragon running to catch up and his hand gripping a small cloth. She barely had time to wonder what was going on before he was right in front of her. He grabbed her shoulders.

"Hiccup, what…"

"Something's wrong!" he said, now holding up the cloth far too close to her face.

She pushed back the blanket and her heart felt suddenly frozen when she realized what it was.

"You dug him up?" she asked in horror.

"What?" Hiccup looked very confused for a second. "No… no, no, no, Tuffnut's dragon did that. It was an accident. But look! He's not here!"

The way he was brandishing the cloth around, she didn't get a very good look at it. She stared at him, trying to figure out where his mind was going.

"Do you think his body was stolen?" she asked, her facing paling at the thought.

He shook his head. "Maybe, I don't know. I've been thinking about that day, Astrid, we never even _saw_ him."

Astrid shook her head. "If you're implying what I think you're implying, I don't want to hear it."

Hiccup took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down a bit. "Astrid… do you remember the day Kara was born?"

"Vividly."

"As soon as she was out, we thought something was wrong. Because she wasn't crying." he stared at her, his eyes wide with excitement.

"She _was_ crying, we just couldn't hear her." Astrid put her hand on his arm. "Look, I can't explain why he wasn't in the blanket, Hiccup. But he's not out there somewhere. He was born too early. He'd have died soon after birth no matter what."

Hiccup shook his head vigorously. "We don't know that for sure. I mean, we didn't even know about Kara until she was born. You may have been full term…"

"_Stop it_!" Astrid cried, hitting him on the shoulder now. "I don't want to think about it. Why would someone steal our son? It doesn't make sense. Hiccup, you're just trying to cling to this absurd notion… besides, there's no way to find out for sure."

He ran a hand through his unruly hair. She was right. The midwife who had delivered their son had died several years before. She had been old even then; it was only a matter of time.

"Okay… okay, you're right." He felt as though he was being deflated. "Let's just… maybe we should wait and see what happens. Go through her old stuff if we can."

Astrid smiled. "Now you're being more sensible. But not now. Kara will be home any day now and you _need _to help me clean up around here."

"Astrid, she won't care if the house is a mess…"

"Well that's too bad because we're cleaning it up anyway." She sighed. "We need to move on, Hiccup. He died. There's nothing either one of us can do about that. It was a long time ago. But our daughter is alive and she'll be home and I need to do _something_ for her."

Hiccup nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."

And with that, he followed his wife into the house, his dragon at his heels. He really was looking forward to seeing Kara again. But he still had a nagging doubt. When he had time, he would definitely be pursuing this further.


	2. Chapter One: Homecoming

_It's still October 5__th__, believe it or not. I haven't written so much in one sitting since I started here! Perhaps it's the forced chapter withholding that has made me so anxious to keep writing. I'm not sure. At this rate, I'll be finished with this story in no time at all! But I'm sure I'll slow down at some point. To those of you who finished __Pirate's Cove__ and actually want to keep reading, I applaud you! The sequel didn't really take off like I'd hoped but this will be better. I have a much clearer plan for this story._

_Anyway, enough of the boring notes. Let us begin the epic tale of __Resting Place__!_

_~KateMarie999_

_P.S. It is now November which means I've been writing this for OVER A MONTH! I fail! Sorry about that!_

**Chapter One: Homecoming**

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III didn't usually take naps. He was far too busy for daytime slumber most days. But after an exhausting day of training and a very long flight on Sky, he felt as though he could barely move. Even his prosthetic leg seemed to ache. As soon as he got into his room, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep instantly.

He became groggily aware of a funny sort of gurgling noise. Still feeling extremely tired, he tried to allow his body to fall asleep once more but the gurgling got louder. It was probably Sky begging to be fed.

"All right, all right." he said, now becoming irritated. "Just let me wake up first."

He opened his eyes and the first things he saw were giant, green, catlike eyes staring at him. It took him a moment to fully process what he was seeing… big eyes, black scales, and an enormous smile. Comprehension finally dawned on him and suddenly he didn't feel tired at all anymore.

"Toothless!" he cried, sitting up and hugging his dragon.

Toothless made a happy warbling noise and stared at his owner, visibly pleased to be back. Hiccup's heart leaped, racing with glee at being reunited with his best friend at last.

"Oh, I've missed you so much, bud!" he exclaimed, scratching Toothless in his favorite spots. "It's been too long. Let's go flying!"

Toothless let loose an ecstatic roar. Hiccup hopped out of his bed and mounted within seconds. The prosthetic foot still fit perfectly. He had been too sleepy to close the roof that day so it was still open. He could tell the sun was setting and he wanted to see the sunset from atop _his_ dragon.

They took off and Hiccup felt his instincts take over. It was as though the two had never been separated. As they flew over the village, he spotted a very familiar mop of bright red curls shining in the remaining sunlight.

_Kara._

Feeling overjoyed, Hiccup dove and landed right next to his daughter, startling her slightly. She took a few steps back and the two stared at each other for a moment, each noticing the differences in the other.

He had forgotten how dazzling her eyes were. How her nose turned up slightly just like his did (he suppressed the sudden urge to touch his own nose just to make sure). She was also quite a bit more… _developed_ than he remembered. Had she always been so shapely? He couldn't help but feel slightly sad that his little girl had become this gorgeous young woman standing in front of him. It didn't matter to him, just so long as she was safe now. She smiled and her whole face seemed to shine.

"Wow, Kara." he said, smiling back at her. "You look beautiful."

He had also forgotten that she had a tendency to stare at her shoes when feeling nervous or embarrassed. He felt secretly glad she still did that. He dismounted and immediately threw his arms around her, hugging her close. Kara raised her arms and hugged him back just as tightly.

"I missed you." she said and he was surprised to note that her voice, while still sounding very familiar, had changed slightly. It now sounded more like a woman's voice than a girl's.

"I missed you too." Hiccup replied, giving her an extra squeeze.

They finally broke apart but he kept his hands clasped around one of hers. He knew it was silly but he felt as though if he didn't maintain physical contact, she'd disappear. He saw Astrid watching them with a similar smile on her face. Clearly she had already greeted her daughter before he had come. He also noticed a skinny, blonde young man looking at them as well.

"That must be Sven." he said, nodding his head in the young man's direction.

Kara looked over to him. "Yeah, that's him."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "So that's what you think I was like as a teenager?" he asked, referring to her last letter. "Because… actually you're pretty spot on. I even looked a lot like that."

He was amused to note that Sven _also _had the habit of staring at his shoes when nervous. He wondered if Sven picked it up from Kara. Not wanting to let his daughter go but feeling like it was impolite to ignore his guest, he ambled over to the young man and stuck out his other hand (which happened to be his left).

"I'm Hiccup. Kara mentioned you; you must be her… uhh…"

Sven didn't hesitate in the slightest in gripping Hiccup's left hand with his. "Obnoxious acquaintance." he said, finishing the sentence.

"Obnox… wait, what?" Hiccup turned to Kara, who was smiling mischievously now.

"That's a pretty accurate description. Good boy!" she said, patting the top of his head as though he was a well behaved dragon.

"I do my best." said Sven, acting as though this was high praise.

"I thought you said he was a friend." Hiccup looked between the two of them.

"He is. On alternating Tuesdays." Kara poked him on the shoulder.

"Yep, that's about right." Sven nodded.

Hiccup was beginning to feel as though he had walked in during the middle of their conversation. It was going to take a while to get used to their antics. He looked to the Night Fury Kara had discovered, who was awkwardly pawing the ground behind her owner. He reached out a hand and she placed her nose to it, accepting him instantly.

"Hey there, Sapphire I can see why Toothless was so smitten. You're very pretty." He said, stroking her on the side of the face now. "I didn't know you guys came in colors."

"I know!" Astrid said, walking over. "She's a beauty." She began to join him in stroking the dragon. "What do you think of Sven?" she asked, nodding in his direction.

Hiccup looked over to his daughter's friend, who had just blurted out, "I _told_ you it was contaminated but you never listen to me!"

Kara was responding with a witty retort when Hiccup turned back to his wife.

"I kind of like him." he admitted at last. "He's more than a match for Kara, that's for sure."

"They've been bantering like that the whole time I've been here." Astrid shook her head. "Oh Thor, she's changed so much. I can just tell. She's more confident and intelligent and she's a lot prettier. We're going to have to fight to keep the guys away."

Hiccup laughed. "I'm more than a match for them. Just let them try to keep this raw, manly Viking-ness contained." He flexed his strong but admittedly small muscles as Astrid chuckled.

"Yeah, okay." she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can see why she wrote that she and Sven wouldn't make a good couple. They seem to enjoy picking on each other too much."

Hiccup nodded as he heard Kara shout "I knew I'd regret bringing you home!"

Sven laughed. "If you hadn't, you'd miss me by now."

"Okay you two," Astrid said, cutting into their argument (though she could tell that both were enjoying themselves immensely). "Do we know where Sven is going to sleep while he's here?"

"You work that out, Astrid." Hiccup turned to look at his daughter. "I want to talk to Kara."

Astrid shook her head, smiling. Once a daddy's girl, always a daddy's girl.

The rest of the village, who had turned up to greet Kara, seemed to figure out that Hiccup wanted some alone time with his child. Kara smiled awkwardly as he once again took her hand.

"You feel comfortable joining me?" he asked at last, patting Toothless' back.

Kara nodded shyly and watched as her father mounted the dragon. He reached out a hand to help her up and she gladly took it. Both knew that she was perfectly capable of getting on the dragon without any help but any physical contact was welcomed now that they were finally together. They took off into the sunset, which was turning into a lovely one at that.

Hiccup put his arms around his daughter, not wanting to let go. He noted that her longer hair was constantly blown into his face but he didn't mind. He had missed her so much.

"You grew up." he said at last. "I don't know how to feel about that."

"Well unless I'm mistaken, you're always going to see me as a little kid. Even when I'm an old lady." Kara nudged her father in the ribs.

Hiccup laughed. "You're right about that. Seems like yesterday I was holding you for the first time and now… I'm so proud of you, Kara."

"Thanks dad."

"I mean it. I don't know what happened while you were gone but your letters have been the highlight of my month or whenever they came. I still have them all. The way you escaped from the castle in Scotland, that was genius!" Hiccup sighed. "Clearly you are your mother's daughter."

"Very funny. I'm not forgetting the time you told me you took out a guard with your prosthetic leg." she reminded him.

"What I didn't tell you was that it was my stupidity that necessitated that particular escape." he admitted, nudging her slightly.

"Oh I'm sure it was. From what I've heard, you had serious trust issues as a teenager. What did you do, tell your captor all your secrets?" she nudged him back.

"Your mother is never going to let me live that down." He chuckled. "And yes, in a roundabout way, I did. Perhaps I should have told you not to trust everyone you meet when you first left."

"Ahh but then I wouldn't have brought Sven home." she reminded him.

"How did you two meet, anyway?" he asked.

As she recounted that exciting tale, he was only half listening. He still couldn't believe that he was riding his dragon with his daughter after all the years they had been away. He had missed her so much, he had hidden himself away for the first few weeks until Astrid dragged him to Dragon Island to get him a new dragon. And he did pick a good one but Sky simply wasn't Toothless. But now he was there with his girl and his dragon, he felt as though his heart was soaring. There was a war to think about but not now. Now was all about Kara and Toothless.

_I hope you liked this. It's kind of lame but I wanted to reestablish the Hiccup/Kara dynamic and throw in the Kara/Sven one._

_My lovely reader, __**EmmerzK**__ wrote a really good paragraph for this chapter. I was unable to find a place to include it but let's consider it canon from Sven's perspective: _

As Kara embraced her father, Sven couldn't stop staring at the man. He honestly didn't know what he expected of the infamous Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third-maybe a striking eight feet tall and muscular with a long beard, carrying weapons galore. But then he supposed now that he actually was seeing him for the first time that he wasn't named Hiccup for nothing; he was just under six feet tall, a few inches taller than Sven himself, was thin but built from years of training and dragon riding, had thick auburn hair, a clean-shaven face and striking olive green eyes. And the more he stared, the more he tried to shove down the thought... he felt as though he was staring at an exact replica of himself.

_Thank you, EmmerzK. You're officially my favorite reader (that I don't know in person). _


	3. Chapter Two: An Impromptu Battle

_Special thanks to my muse, __**EmmerzK**__ for some ideas used in this chapter. As always, thanks to __**Miss Pookamonga**__ for being so good at description that it rubs off on me. I can't possibly ask for better helpers than you two!_

_~KateMarie999_

**Chapter Two: An Impromptu Battle**

Hiccup and Kara landed just as the village was bathed in darkness at last. Astrid had been waiting for them with Sven and was glad to see that her husband didn't keep her daughter out too late. Not that she would have minded a little bit of extra time with Sven. He was a nice boy, really. He even offered to wash the dishes when she was finished making dinner. She let him do this, of course. She had always hated housework and he was so eager. She might even let him clean out the dragon pens…

As he passed his wife, Hiccup leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek. This wasn't the time or place for some serious making out and they both knew it but now that Kara was back, they felt quite a bit better and thus more amorous toward each other. Hiccup strode into the middle of the room and brought out two chairs.

"You and Sven need to hear about what's been going on." he said, sitting down across from them.

Kara and Sven slowly lowered themselves onto the couch, feeling quite apprehensive for some reason.

"You mentioned a war in your last letter." Kara said, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself for any horrible news.

"Yes I did. The Berserkers and the Outcasts have been attacking Berk on kind of a… well… a schedule." Astrid explained, placing her head in her hands.

"A schedule?" asked Sven, looking quite confused.

"From what I remember, Camgar and Alvin don't seem very… organized. At least not in that way." Kara added.

Hiccup shook his head. "That's the weird part. They attack every three days. The way they attack is completely different, as is the time, but it's _always_ every three days."

Kara furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. In a different situation, Sven might have made a joke but he stayed silent.

"When was the last attack?" she asked, finally looking up at her father.

Hiccup sighed. "Two days ago."

Kara's eyes widened. "So the next one is _tomorrow_?"

She and her father's identical green eyes met and he nodded. She looked away, focusing on her hands.

"I started this war, didn't I? When I ran off."

Astrid placed a hand on Kara's knee. "Absolutely not. This was coming for a long time and you know it."

"But…"

"I don't want to hear another word, Kara." Hiccup leaned in and took her hand. "Camgar has made it very obvious that he intends to kill you for what happened. You _cannot_ go into battle without being prepared. In fact, it's probably best that you don't go at all. You need to take over as chief if anything happens to me and…"

"Don't say that, dad. Don't talk about that." Kara snapped, pulling her hand out of his grasp. "If you or mom died… I can't… I don't want to think about that."

"Kara, this is _war_. People die. And the chief's family is always a target." Hiccup stared pointedly at her forehead and Kara tried not to act as though she could see his eyes in her peripheral vision.

"I can fight." Sven said very quietly.

Hiccup turned to look at Sven who, unlike Kara, was meeting his gaze. There was something so familiar about those bright blue eyes. In fact, though he hadn't noticed it before, he couldn't stop himself from noticing how familiar the young man's whole face was, almost like Hiccup had seen him before like in a dream or as a child… he shook his head and decided to ignore this sudden revelation.

"You don't have to, Sven." He said. "I wish I could tell you that you wouldn't be useful but there's only one tribe fighting against two."

"And I'm going to help this one." Sven insisted, refusing to break his gaze with Hiccup.

Hiccup glanced over at his daughter, who was staring at her clasped hands on her lap. He felt a strange sense of longing, almost as if he wanted to blurt out that he'd just made the war up as a sick joke and that everything was fine so that Kara could still be safe and happy. He didn't like the idea of forcing her to grow up so quickly. But he supposed that was what he had done when he had let her fly off on her own three years ago. And, to look at her now, he would never have known she had ever been childish enough to fly away from them and nearly get herself killed all those years ago. He felt torn, one part of him bursting with pride at how mature and resourceful she had become and the other part desperately missing that baby girl who had stretched out her tiny hand and stroked Toothless when she was only a few weeks old. The little girl who had giggled when he told her the story of the day his wife had met Toothless and didn't notice the stinging in her knee as he applied medicine. He desperately wanted to shield that little girl from any harm, from the pain of losing her friends or possibly her family. But now that little girl was a woman and the time to protect her from the harshness of reality was no longer at hand.

"I think you need to get some rest. All of you." Hiccup said, breaking his gaze at last and gently gripping Astrid's hand. "Sven can sleep down here. Kara, your room is ready for you."

Kara walked to her room as if in a daze. She knew there was a war but it didn't hit her until she arrived on Berk how dangerous her life would become. She had missed her family so much but now she was back, she almost felt like leaving so that they wouldn't be in as much danger. But a part of her knew that it wouldn't do any good. And, if she lost someone, she wanted to be there to say… she gulped as she thought this and forced it out of her mind.

There would be no goodbyes.

* * *

Sven awoke early the next morning. At first, he wondered why he was so comfortable; he usually slept on a few boards on the ship… oh wait… the ship was gone. His spirits lifted considerably as he remembered that there was no Gudrik to tell him what to do. Just Kara and she didn't threaten him when he wouldn't acquiesce. He slowly sat up and stretched. It was probably a little too early for breakfast.

"You're up early." said Hiccup once Sven stepped outside.

The older man was leaning against the house and sketching a Terrible Terror who had scampered over. They stood in silence for a while, Sven watching Hiccup slowly sketch the dragon, when he noticed something.

"You're left-handed." he said, slowly sitting down next to him.

"Yep. It can be a bit of a pain but there's not much I can do about that." Hiccup replied amiably.

"It's just… I'm left-handed too." Sven said, slowly getting out a small slip of parchment and charcoal and attempting to sketch the dragon as well.

Hiccup looked over his shoulder. "So you are."

There was a pause as both men relaxed and sketched the sleek profile of the tiny dragon, who had decided that the middle of the yard was a good place for a nap. Hiccup finally looked over at the younger man, watching him trace the dragon's shape with his left hand. He even held his charcoal the same way…

"Where are you from, Sven?" Hiccup asked, trying to make it sound like a casual question.

"I was kind of recruited by pirates when I was little. Kara helped me get out of that situation. She's… well, she's great. You're probably really proud of her." Sven replied, not looking up from his sketch.

"I am, yes." Hiccup nodded. "What about your parents? Where did they go?"

Sven finally looked up at Hiccup. They stared at each other for a few seconds, both feeling slightly awkward.

"I never knew my parents. I was told they didn't want me." Sven shook his head. "Does it matter?"

"No… no, of course not. I was just… never mind." Hiccup turned back to his drawing. "You know what… no. This is going to seem like an odd question, Sven, really odd but do you know your birthday?"

Sven didn't look up. "September 13th. I just turned 20."

Thoughts of finishing the sketch melted from Hiccup's mind. It hardly seemed possible. In fact, it was impossible. The odds were astronomical. No. He wasn't going to entertain the possibility. Still, it was about time to talk to the midwife's son.

* * *

Astrid and Kara emerged from the house an hour later, Kara's untamable curls billowing out from her head and cascading down her back. Hiccup thought it made her look youthful yet still quite grown up. It was a strange sort of paradox.

They had decided to eat breakfast in the Great Hall instead of on their own. The entire village hadn't gotten to greet Kara yet and by this time, the news had spread. Kara was immediately bombarded with people glad to see her home at last.

"It is splendid to see you again, Miss Haddock!" Tollum chirped as he shook her hand.

"I see you haven't changed a bit, Tollum." Kara grinned. "It really is nice to see everyone again."

"I don't usually partake in idle gossip but I happened to overhear that you brought along an acquaintance." Tollum continued, speaking very clearly.

"I did. This is Sven." Kara gently pushed her friend toward Tollum, who grabbed his hand and shook it as well.

"I am proud and honored to meet any friend of our future chief, Mr…" Tollum chuckled awkwardly. "Sven."

Kara bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Tollum had always hated referring to people by their first name. It was a strange quirk that everyone had gotten used to at this point. The most amusing moment had been several years ago when Camicazi's five brothers had taken him fishing and the poor boy had to look at each brother specifically to clarify which Mr. Jorgenson to which he was speaking. Tollum had eased up on this quirk for weeks afterward.

Speaking of Camicazi, Kara spotted her over by the far wall looking slightly awkward and holding hands with Madguts. Kara was pleased to find herself not jealous in the slightest. She didn't feel like going over to them but she smiled at her old friend. At this sign of friendliness, Camicazi seemed to relax slightly and smile back.

Just as Kara and Sven were about to sit down for breakfast, a strange sound filled the Great Hall. A second later, the young woman recognized it as the horn that people patrolling the island blew when they saw a threat. Hiccup placed his hand on her shoulder.

"They're early today. I have to go, we have to fight. Kara…" he faltered, hoping that he could get the last few words out. "I… I love you. So much. Now stay here. Do not follow me under any circumstances!"

Hiccup immediately ran out of the Great Hall, along with a huge group of men and women quickly arming themselves, and left Kara and Sven alone with a few children and parents.

Sven looked over at Kara. "Will you follow him?" he asked.

Kara turned to look at him, the familiar glint of mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Of course!"

She hurried toward the door, Sven at her heels. Putting her finger to her lips to signal she wanted him to be quiet, she slowly opened the door just a crack so she could see what was going on.

It was complete chaos outside. A Zippleback (which she later recognized as Barf and Belch) flew dangerously close to the doors and very nearly revealed her location. She immediately spotted her parents on their dragons. Toothless shot a plasma blast at a group of Berserkers, causing them to scatter. Kara thought that a second Night Fury could be even better than just the one but she didn't want to risk running through the battle to get Sapphire.

A flaming arrow came inches from hitting her mother in the face. Astrid dodged it just in time but Kara felt her blood boil.

"You stay here." she said to Sven.

"What…"

But Sven wasn't able to continue his sentence. Kara ran out of the Great Hall and out of sight. He sighed, rolling his eyes and hoping that she wasn't killed.

"What is wrong with…"

Yet again he was interrupted, this time by paralyzing fear. Hiccup had been struck by a large rock that had been lobbed at him and Toothless. Somehow, he became separated from his dragon and, with a horrible yell, began to plummet toward the ground.


	4. Chapter Three: Targets

**Chapter Three: Targets**

Hiccup felt himself plummet through the air at high speeds. He looked up, which was really down, and saw the ground coming up to meet him.

_Great_, he thought cynically. _Splat goes the Haddock. Real smooth._

Hooligans yelled and screamed at his falling form and he closed his eyes, not wanting to watch as the ground rushed up…

A large claw with talons grabbed his left leg and wrenched him back into the air, effectively giving him whiplash. He cried out in pain as his knee twisted awkwardly, the same knee that held the prosthetic.

Hiccup grit his teeth and prayed the prosthetic wouldn't loosen, or he'd really be in trouble. He looked up to see a black Monstrous Nightmare carrying him up to the skies; a young man with a sadistic grin on his face peered down at him rode its back.

"Hello Hiccup," Camgar nearly squealed with joy.

Hiccup jerked and flailed, trying to get some kind of handle on the situation, but it was useless. He was really, properly stuck, two hundred feet in the air and climbing, and at the hands and claws of his enemy.

_Really smooth._

"Aww, is Mr. Hiccup stuck?" Camgar called below him. "Here, let me help you with that-"

Hiccup was suddenly thrown upwards into the air. "AHHH!" He thought he heard the screams of his tribesmen below, unprepared to see him die in battle today.

_No. Not yet. Not today._

Camgar's dragon caught him by his torso this time, the dragon's claws digging into his stomach and chest. The catch didn't hurt as badly, but he knew if Camgar ordered it, he'd be skewered through in an instant.

So he did what any proper Viking would.

He really hated to hurt the dragon as it wasn't in his nature, but he had to. Hiccup reached between his shoulder blades, pulled out his sword and dug it into the dragon's exposed underbelly. The dragon screeched in pain and Camgar roared in rage. "NO! STOP!"

Hiccup knew he didn't have a choice. It was him or his village. His family. His daughter and only child. He had to put an end to this. He slashed his sword deep into the dragon again, its red blood oozing, thickening in hot waves down his arm and onto his neck and shoulders.

"Drop him, drop him!" Camgar screamed.

Just as the dragon let him go, Hiccup grasped the dragon's saddle strap on its belly with his fingertips. His enemies looked around for him to watch him fall, but saw nothing. When they finally realized where the heir of the Hooligans had gone, he had already climbed up and was upon them.

Camgar ripped his sword out of its sheath and parried Hiccup's blow, barely managing to save his neck. The men parried blows back and forth, a difficult feat on a raging Monstrous Nightmare that dipped and turned to throw Hiccup off.

He managed to hang on, knowing a Nightmare's flight patterns better than anyone. But Camgar knew something else. He kicked Hiccup's left knee, the one that had twisted badly, and Hiccup dropped it with a cry of pain. He didn't let up his sword, but he knew on one knee at these speeds and barely holding on with his right hand…

The men's arms shook from the exertion of blocking each others' blows. Camgar breathed a laugh into his face. "It's over, Hiccup. I will conquer your village, and I will kill your daughter. Unlike my stupid father, who couldn't even save his _own_ life."

Hiccup hardened his resolve but could feel his left arm weakening. His right ached to join his left, but he risked falling off as a result. He had no more options…

When suddenly a high shriek pierced the air and seemed to grow louder with every passing moment. Hiccup tore his eyes from Camgar's and looked to his right. His eyes widened.

A bright curly mop of red hair hugged a blue Night Fury as they sped towards the black Nightmare, ready to release a plasma blast. Hiccup shook his head, "Kara NO!" He let up on Camgar's sword, risking decapitation, and managed to leap past the evil man. Hiccup yanked down on the Monstrous Nightmare's reigns, plummeting the trio toward the ocean. Camgar and the dragon screeched in shock from the sudden descent.

Kara's plasma blast shot past them and the young woman directed her Fury to follow them. Her eyes glanced at the Nightmare's underside; she didn't know her dad could cause so much damage.

Her father and Camgar still fought on the dragon's back, Camgar wrestling Hiccup onto his back and trying to pin him down. Camgar raised his sword over Hiccup's head.

"Come on, Sapphire, faster!" Kara shouted. The water loomed below them menacingly. Hiccup jerked, the blade missing his neck by inches and hitting the dragon instead. It howled in anger and tried to pull out of the steep dive, but Hiccup still pulled down on the reigns and it didn't have the strength.

They would hit the water. Camgar raised his sword above Hiccup again.

"Dad!"

The Nightmare screamed in terror as its combined mass and speed slammed the trio into the water. The two men and dragon were sucked underwater almost instantly, their speed plunging them into the depths of the ocean.

"DAD!" Kara screamed, yanking Sapphire into a banking position. When they circled around to search the water, her mother, Stoick and Snotlout had joined the search.

"Hiccup!" Stoick boomed, his eyes scanning the water quickly.

Kara pulled Sapphire in beside her mother and yelled at the foaming water, "Dad!"

Hooligans and Berserkers alike paused at the cliff, watching the water to see which man, if either, would emerge.

The water stilled. The foam dissipated.

Kara looked at her mom, who stared at the water with an intensity she hadn't seen before. "Come on, Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, willing her husband to emerge.

Nothing.

All was silent.

Until a dark shape moved under the waves. Flapping movements.

"Ready!" Stoick yelled, gesturing for his people to pull up and away.

The injured black Nightmare burst out of the water and roared in pain and anger. It couldn't fly out of exhaustion and pain, so there it stayed afloat in the harbor. The saddle was empty.

Snotlout looked over to Stoick. "I can dive in-"

Just then a dark-haired man leaped out of the water and flung himself on the Nightmare's saddle, hacking and coughing water out so hard he was nearly convulsing.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shot forward on Stormfly. The Hooligans laughed and cheered at his emergence from the water, relieved he wasn't dead.

The Nightmare roared at the oncoming dragon, but Stormfly only roared back. Hiccup sat up as Astrid swooped in and Stormfly grabbed his outstretched arm, taking him away from the evil dragon as fast as they could.

Stoick swooped under Stormfly and Hiccup dropped onto Thornado's back behind his father. He bent over the dragons side and coughed some more. Stoick whacked his back, "You alright?"

Hiccup shot him a half-grin and said in a scratchy voice, "Never better."

"Dad!" Kara flew in beside them.

Hiccup's face darkened. "Why are you out here?"

Kara's brow furrowed, "Because-"

"Never mind, I'll deal with you later young lady." Hiccup growled and faced forward when Thornado moved to land.

While Hiccup was retrieved, the Berserkers still stood around in shock at their chief's disappearance, all looking unsure. But as Stoick's group landed, they cheered in sadistic glee. The black Nightmare lifted from the water with a man, albeit injured and soaked, but yet a man on his back.

Camgar circled around Stoick's group. "Fall out, Berserkers! This isn't the end of it, Hiccup! I'll get you and your priggish brat next time!" The man and his dragon turned tail and flew to the Berserkers' ships in the harbor.

Snotlout pointed to the fleeing Berserkers, "Do you want me to torch 'em?"

"Yeahhh torch 'em!" A certain blonde pair with an eye for destruction piped nearby.

Stoick shook his head. "No. Let them flee from the wolves like a bunch of sheep." He stepped off Thornado and waited for Hiccup to do the same. But he sat there with pursed lips, still catching his breath. Or pushing down a cry of pain.

Astrid jumped off Stormfly and walked over to him. "Hiccup, you okay?" She rested a hand on his left knee and he jerked.

Hiccup shook his head. "Twisted my knee."

"Looks like you got nicked, too," Snotlout pointed to his punctured armor where a little blood leaked through.

"Healer, then." Stoick ordered. "Get that taken care of. I need you out here."

Hiccup nodded and gingerly slid off Thornado's side into Astrid's waiting arms. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and Kara did the same, helping him walk to the healer's. He found he couldn't put much weight on it at all, like he hoped he would. So twenty minutes later when the healer said that it was dislocated, he scowled.

"Lovely…" he muttered. He wasn't sure if he'd rather it be the same leg that already had issues or the one that had none.

Astrid planted a kiss on the top of his head. "It could've been worse. You fought bravely and didn't die. That's all that matters."

Hiccup's eyes shifted to his moping daughter sitting in the corner. "Kara, come here. Please." He quickly added.

Kara breathed a light huff through her nose and stood in front of him, her arms crossed and forefinger tapping against her arm. As the healer fiddled with his prosthetic, he met her gaze and asked, "What did I tell you?"

Kara didn't respond.

"Kara, don't do this," Hiccup added more sternness to his gaze. "I told you to stay inside."

"I know, but-"

"No buts, Kara!" Hiccup cut her off, trying to not lose his cool. "I don't want you getting hurt. What is it going to take for you to understand that this isn't a game?"

Kara scowled, hurt etched in her eyes. "I never said it was a game."

Hiccup rubbed his eyes, scowling at the dried dragon blood on his right arm. "You don't take it serious-"

"Yes I do, I'm the one who killed his stupid dragon! You think I'm that clueless?" Kara shouted, making the whole room pause. Many were there waiting to get their injuries treated. Everyone either ducked their heads or watched in anticipation to hear what Hiccup would say next.

Hiccup kept his voice low and level. "Don't you raise your voice at me."

"Well don't you talk to me like-"

"Kara." Astrid finally cut in. The red-head closed her mouth and stared at her. "You disobeyed him." Astrid stared at her daughter firmly. "You were told to stay inside. He almost died trying to keep you from getting killed because you were getting involved where you shouldn't. Now don't you dare get sassy, you understand me?"

Kara swallowed and gave her a small nod, although anger was still etched on her face. Astrid nodded to the door. "Go wait at home for us. We'll finish this later."

Without another word, Kara turned and walked out the door. She plowed into a thin body in her purposeful walk and barely spared Sven a glance. The young man gulped and walked inside, closing the door firmly behind him.

He heard Hiccup talking to Astrid before he saw them, but he followed their voices until he saw them sitting on a bed a few feet away. "-just doesn't listen."

"I know," Astrid sighed, pulling some of his chain mail off. "But we'll talk about it later." She noticed Sven standing there and smiled. "Oh, hi Sven." Hiccup also looked up.

"Hi…" He awkwardly smiled and took a step closer. "You alright? I saw you get hit by the boulder and fall off Toothless… saw it all, I guess. Didn't look pretty."

Hiccup shrugged. "Coulda been w-" A sharp twist from the healer's hands and a loud pop sliced the air and Hiccup jumped up, grabbing his knee. "OW! WHY WOULD YOU **_DO_** THAT!?"

The healer stood with a satisfactory smile. "What? You were perfectly relaxed and distracted." She shot a wink to Sven before walking off to get cleaning cloths and some medicine.

Hiccup pouted. "I hate doctors-"

"No, you don't." Astrid giggled.

The healer came back over and gestured at him, "Why is your shirt still on, boy?"

Hiccup deadpanned as he pulled up the hem of his tunic. "Boy?"

She smirked, "You'll always be a boy in my book."

"Yeah yeah."

Sven nearly gaped at all the scars on Hiccup's chest and shoulders. He knew Kara had basically said that her dad was the Dragon Whisperer; that he was amazing with dragons, and it was clear that those things were true. But how much injury had he gone though to get that title?

"Yoo-hoo? Berk to Sven!"

Sven blinked at Hiccup's hand in his face and shook his head. "Oh… Sorry. Lost in thought I guess."

Hiccup chuckled, "You just looked like you saw a ghost."

Sven cracked a smile and shrugged. "Maybe I'm just too squeamish for my good or something."

"Ah this?" Hiccup glanced at the puncture wounds on his chest. He shrugged. "I've had worse."

"I can tell." Sven agreed, his eyes darting away.

Hiccup smiled but said nothing. Astrid shook her head. "Yeah, you've no idea how many times I've had to save him."

"Hey now-" Hiccup argued.

"Growing up with him was practically like babysitting."

"No it wasn't!"

"Always had to keep an eye on him."

"Would you stop- leave me alone!" Hiccup poked her in the side, ignoring his wife's and Sven's laughter. "I wasn't that bad!"

The healer grunted. "And I'm the queen of the Anglo-Saxons."

"Oh come on-"

"You were always brought in here for some injury. At least once a week from the time you were two until you were thirteen. Always some form of cut or bump or bruise." The healer went on, cleaning his wounds.

"I'm sorry if I kept business going for you." Hiccup remarked. Sven chuckled at the healer's deadpanned expression.

She rolled her eyes and wrapped up the few puncture wounds, which were thankfully close to his left shoulder. They were easy to wrap that way. As she stood though, she frowned at his bruising torso.

"Can you bend over?"

"Yeah, it hurts though." Hiccup followed her gaze. He winced when she put a hand on the left side of his waist; but he hunched over in pain when pressed her fingers in for a minute. She shook her head, "Broken ribs. I think only two, but you have to be careful."

"Probably from that boulder."

The healer pulled out another roll of cloth to wrap his torso, but Astrid gently took it from her. "I can do that. Why don't you help some of the others?"

The healer smiled and stood. "Alright. Tight and firm, but not too tight."

Astrid nodded as the woman moved to another patient, and began wrapping Hiccup's torso. Sven inhaled deeply and broke the silence. "Well… this was fun. I guess I'll… uh, see you guys later then."

He turned to leave but Hiccup called him back. "Wait, Sven." The boy turned to face him and Hiccup cocked his head. "You alright?"

Sven raised an eyebrow but hesitated all the same. "Y-yeah… I'm… I'm fine." He turned and left the healer's without another word, leaving the couple in the healer's.

Hiccup wondered more about the boy and how familiar he felt. He must've looked concerned and confused, because Astrid poked his arm. "What?" he asked.

"You look worried about something." She tucked the end of the cloth inside another fold and placed her hands in her lap.

Hiccup opened his mouth, but closed it again. He looked into her eyes—still as blue as when they first met all those years ago. He wanted to voice his thoughts, his questions… but he knew that they would be too painful for her to do so. So instead he smiled and looked at the ground, "I was just wondering how we're going to get back to the house."

Astrid knew from his body language that he was hiding something. She'd known him long enough to recognize that. But she wrapped her hands around his arm and said, "Well I'm used to being married to a clumsy cripple. We'll figure it out."

Hiccup breathed a laugh, "Alright, let's go."

He made it to his feet and put his tunic back on. The couple thanked the healer before walking out the door, Hiccup able to hide most of his limp. When the sunset greeted them, Toothless was sitting on the ground outside.

He jumped up and licked Hiccup in the face, making the man laugh. "Ughh… Toothless!" He wiped his face off with his sleeve as Astrid laughed. Hiccup scratched Toothless' neck. "Sorry bud. I wasn't supposed to fall off."

Toothless snorted with a harsh nod of agreement. "See?" Astrid smiled. "We do have a way home." She hopped on Toothless' back, the equipment for Kara's travels still on and giving Astrid the ability to fly the Night Fury. She held out a hand to her husband with a smile.

Hiccup grasped her forearm and jumped into the saddle behind her. "Alright bud, take us home."

As the dragon extended his ebony wings and took off, Hiccup put his arms around his wife. She took a deep breath, secretly thanking the gods that her husband hadn't been killed this time. She furrowed her brow a bit and then directed Toothless higher into the air.

"I thought we were going home." Hiccup whispered in her ear.

"We are." said Astrid with a tiny smile. "I just thought we'd take the scenic route."

Hiccup's near death experience had opened her eyes. This war could actually _kill _him. It could kill _her_. She felt a tightening in her gut. What would she do if she lost him… how would she keep fighting? Could this be the last flight they enjoyed together?

Well if it was, she was certainly going to make it memorable. She leaned back, putting her head next to his, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, grinning fondly at the unexpected affection.

"Do I need a reason?" she playfully narrowed her eyes.

He breathed a laugh and kissed her on the cheek, slowly making his way up to her forehead. She leaned into his body and allowed his warmth to make her feel safe and happy, even if only for a little while. As they finally touched down at their house, she wondered how many days she would have with him. His mortality had never frightened her so much. As soon as he dismounted behind her, she spun around on her heel and gently put her arms around his waist. He smiled, gingerly brushing her bangs away from her face, and kissed her. She exhaled slowly, wanting this moment to last forever. Not wanting to think about the possibility that she might lose him.

What she didn't know was that Hiccup was trying to not to think about the very same thing.


	5. The Final Installment

**The Final Installment**

_**That's right. I've decided to discontinue **__**Resting Place**__**. The reasons are complicated but I'll try to convey them. First, I simply don't have time to keep it going because of my other projects. I get lots of new ideas that stick more than the ones I had for this story. Second, this story had a lot of gaping holes. I had big moments planned but nothing to string them together. That's actually a problem I fixed with **__**Unexpected**__** and **__**Little Miracles**__**. I had issues with this in **__**Pirate's Cove**__** but kept it going. I should have ended the story with **__**Fight or Flight**__**. That being said, let me tell you what would have happened:**_

_**You were right! Sven is Hiccup and Astrid's long lost son! The midwife's son was held hostage by Alvin and she was ordered to kill the firstborn son of Hiccup and Astrid to get him back. His name would have been Nevin. The midwife took pity on the baby and gave him to a trading ship. Before doing so, she called him "Nevs" which she decided to reverse when she gave him up and told the traders his name was Sven.**_

_**Hiccup would have discovered this a few days after the battle in the last chapter. Just before the next one. He and Astrid would have been pleased. Kara, however, is pretty ticked off. This leads to… a hole. I had nothing in between this and the next big event other than Sven getting used to the idea.**_

_**Another battle ensues. I wrote this scene a while back. It's the better of two drafts.**_

"YOU!" Camgar's voice was shrill but Kara knew it in an instant.

"Camgar." she said, turning to face him.

But the Viking warrior wasn't interested in conversation. Before Kara could blink, he pulled out a long dagger and hurled it at the young woman.

Both Astrid and Hiccup caught sight of the shiny metal as it was flung toward their daughter, almost in slow motion. And for a moment, everything stopped. There was no battle. There was no movement. There was only a dagger suspended in midair, pointed straight at their daughter's chest.

"_Mommy!" Kara wailed._

_Astrid rolled over in her bed, reaching out an arm to shake her husband awake but then she remembered that he wasn't there. Of course the night their child needed a parent in the early hours of the morning would be the one Hiccup had needed to sleep on the other end of the island for some sort of team building exercise for the Academy. Astrid would have come along as well but then no one would have been able to look after their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter. And she was a priority now that she had begun to be a very curious child._

"_I'm coming, honey." Astrid called to the little girl, slowly getting herself out of bed._

_Getting up after being fast asleep for a long time was a lot less easy now than it had been a few years ago. Astrid needed a moment to stretch and yawn but immediately got up and tiptoed to Kara's room._

_Kara was only visible through a small crack in her window, which cast an eerie glow on her face. Astrid lit a lamp and suddenly the room was bathed in light. The bushy haired child was trembling, a few tears on her face, her eyes wide in fear, and huddled in bed. She looked very relieved when she finally saw her mother. _

"_What's wrong, Kara?" Astrid asked the obviously terrified child._

"_I had a bad dream." Kara muttered, so quietly Astrid could barely hear her._

_The woman strode over and sat down on the child's bed. She gently pushed Kara's wild red bangs out of her eyes and was surprised to notice that the hair touching her face was covered in sweat._

"_What happened?" she asked._

"_Daddy was eated by Screaming Death and then it eated you and it was chasing me and I couldn't run away!" Kara said in a shaky voice. "Is daddy okay?"_

"_Yes, sweetie, your daddy is fine. He'll be back tomorrow." Astrid gently hugged the trembling child. "And no Screaming Death is going to eat you. Not while I'm here."_

_Kara gave her the kind of lopsided smile that Astrid had come to expect from Hiccup. The sight of it on such a tiny, smooth face made her feel like laughing out loud but she kept her cool._

"_You promise?" the little girl asked, turning her beautiful green eyes to meet Astrid's blue ones._

"_I promise. As long as I'm here, I'm never going to let anything like that happen to you. Daddy and I are going to do the very best we can to make sure you're safe." Astrid said in a gentle voice, stroking the child's hair. "I tell you what, why don't you sleep in daddy's and my bed tonight while your daddy is out? That way if any Screaming Death does come, I'll have you right by my side just to make sure it doesn't hurt you."_

_Kara's smile became whole and genuine now. She threw her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly. "I love you, mommy."_

The dagger inched forward but Astrid had made up her mind and no one was going to change it.

"Oh Hel no." she muttered as she directed Stormfly to shoot forward into the path of the oncoming dagger.

Kara shut her eyes, expecting impact, but nothing happened. Instead she heard a dull thud, a cry of pain, and a shout from somewhere to her left.

"ASTRID!"

She opened her eyes and saw a dark figure shoot past her, scooping up her mother (who had somehow managed to get directly in front of her in the confusion) off of her dragon. Kara had no idea what was going on. Camgar was gone. The war raged on but she could hear the anguished cries of a man who was pelting toward the ground. A moment later, she recognized the voice but she had _never _heard it sound so desperate.

Hiccup's arms cradled Astrid's body as he flew Toothless toward the ground. The moment they arrived, he nearly fell off of his dragon in his panic. Once he was on the ground and could get a proper look at his wife, he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

The dagger meant for his daughter was sticking out of his wife's chest. Blood was pouring everywhere and Hiccup felt his arms grow wet with it. Astrid's face was pale and her breaths came in short gasps.

"No…" he muttered, rocking back and forth and holding his wife in his arms. "No, no, no, no, no…"

Her eyes had never been so beautiful. Or had they? Why hadn't he ever appreciated them before now? This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not Astrid.

"Please, Astrid, stay with me." He whispered to her, gently rubbing her back and hugging her tightly.

"It's okay, Hiccup." Astrid croaked, her voice barely audible.

"It's not okay!" he wailed as he tightened his hold on her. "I can't do this without you."

"Yes you can. I know you can." Astrid's voice was completely inaudible now but Hiccup could see her words in her eyes, as if he could read her mind.

"Astrid, please…"

"Shhh." His wife used as much strength as she could muster to place her finger on his lips. He kissed her outstretched fingers, feeling as though he needed to drink in their warmth one last time. "Just hold me, Hiccup."

And hold her he did. Astrid's breaths became shallower but still he held onto her as tightly as he could, desperately wishing he could pour the rest of his days, his hours, his minutes into her so that she could live and he could die in her place.

And there, staring into the eyes she loved so much, Astrid breathed her last. Her hand fell to her side, now cold and limp. Hiccup let out a sob and held her body even closer. She was still warm… she could be sleeping. This wasn't happening. This couldn't happen. Not to her.

"Astrid…" Hiccup whispered. "Astrid…"

For a few minutes, that was all he could say. His sobs were echoing around him. He couldn't see. He couldn't feel. There was a blackness surrounding him, an impenetrable darkness. What had just happened had to be a dream. There was no way Astrid Hofferson Haddock was dead. _This could not be happening._

"Son…" came a distorted voice from just above his head. "You have to let her go."

Hiccup felt rage spring up in his chest, completely out of nowhere. No one was going to take him away from her. They would have to kill him first.

Stoick yanked Hiccup away from Astrid's body, his son screaming, kicking and hitting him with all the strength he could muster, hot tears pouring down his face. Spitelout scooped up Astrid's body and ran to the healers to keep her there.

"Dirty, lousy, son of a…" Hiccup screamed.

"Hiccup!" Stoick pushed his son firmly up against a house wall, desperately trying calm him. Hiccup finally slumped, pulling at his hair and hyperventilating. Stoick ground his teeth, trying to stay calm himself. "Hiccup..." He knelt down and placed his hands on his sons shaking shoulders.

"This isn't happening..." Hiccup moaned, his voice high and tight. He looked up at his dad with wide eyes, "Tell me this isn't happening!"

Stoick gently shook his head, "Hiccup, I can't…"

"Why are you so calm?" Hiccup spat. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM RIGHT NOW?"

"Son, I'm not!" Stoick shook his arms, trying not to yell. That would only make things worse. Hiccup looked away, tears still streaming, his voice hitching with every inhale he took. Stoick lowered his voice to a whisper. "Hiccup... This is not your fault. This will never be your fault. It is theirs." Hiccup's eyes flickered to the ensuing fight with the enemy tribes. "Grieve later, son. Use this anger to help our people send these murderers running."

It took another minute, but Hiccup finally looked up, his expression hard. No more tears ran down his face, but his breathing was still labored. He shakily stood and Toothless nudged his side. Placing a hand on Toothless nose, he whispered, "All right. If it's a war they want, it's a war they'll get."

_**That's right people… I was actually going to kill off Astrid. Her death comes as a really big blow to those on Berk. I had all kinds of things planned for it. Really good emotional stuff! The only thing that was ever actually written was this little bit here, written for the next morning.**_

Hiccup noticed the similarities that Kara had with her mother. The curve of her nose, the roundness of her eyes... Hiccup swallowed and suddenly heard himself whisper, "I'm a widower." A pain bubbled up inside his chest and he had to double over and cover his mouth to keep silent and not wake his daughter. He breathed silently for a few minutes to calm down, intent on staying silent. He would stay silent. When he was sure he wouldn't freak out and was calm enough, he stood, kissed Kara on the forehead and went downstairs to find something to do to give his life meaning.

_**Just after the funeral, this scene happened:**_

"Kara!"

Sven ran forward, reaching out a hand to stop his sister from walking away, from leaving them again. He finally reached her shoulder and tried to place his hand on it. She wrenched it away.

"Kara, please… please talk to me. You and dad are all I've got…" he pleaded, a few tears slipping from his eyes and down his already tearstained face.

"Leave me alone." Kara mumbled so quietly, he almost thought he was imagining it.

"I know everything happened so fast but mom wouldn't want us to…"

"And what would _you_ know about my mother?" Kara asked, her voice in a very low register. She slowly turned to face him, rage etched in every line of her face. "You don't know _anything_ about what she would or wouldn't want. She was _my _mother."

"Kara…"

"SHUT UP!" Kara roared, causing him to jump and take a few steps back. "JUST SHUT THE _HEL_ UP ABOUT HER!"

Sven opened his mouth and closed it a few times, at a complete loss for words. He had never seen her angry before. Her face was slowly turning red, her fists were balled at her sides, her breathing was labored and making a faint hissing noise with each exhale… she was frightening when she was _this_ angry.

Finally, he found his voice again. "I know she wouldn't want us to fight, not over her. Kara, please…"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Kara shrieked, her voice very high pitched now. "NOW LEAVE ME _ALONE_!"

Before he could react, before he could move a single muscle, she drew back her fist and punched him in his left eye so hard he stumbled back a few feet. Pain exploded where she had hit him and, before he could properly see again, she was gone. He clutched his eye, the tears pouring down his face and soaking his shirt to the skin.

And then he felt a warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and looked at Hiccup, who seemed to have watched that whole scene play out before deciding to interfere.

"Are you okay?" asked his father, gently rubbing his shoulder.

Sven nodded. "It's just my eye. I don't think there'll be any lasting damage."

"Let me see."

Hiccup slowly put a hand on his son's chin and used his other to gently brush the hair out of the way so he could inspect the eye. The skin around it was already bright purple.

"That looks like it hurt." Hiccup said quietly, gently embracing his son and allowing his tears to soak his shoulder.

"What did I do?" Sven asked in a very weak voice.

Very slowly, Hiccup gripped his son by the shoulders and pushed them out so that they were facing each other. He took a deep breath.

"You didn't do anything, Sven." He replied, shaking his head. "I think I know what's going on. Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?"

Sven sniffed loudly and then nodded. Hiccup patted him on the shoulder a few times before turning away. He knew were Kara was headed.

She had always thought he hadn't known about her secret hideaway. For a long time, he hadn't but the panic attacks when she disappeared for hours had finally worn him down enough to follow her one day. And what a hideaway it was. Mildew's old place was musty and disgusting at first but, over the years, she had made it almost livable with writing and drawing all over the walls from various years. His favorite drawing was one she had done when she was, he thought, about five. It was in the corner of the room, barely noticeable, but it had always stuck out to him. It was a picture of him standing next to a black scribble that looked a bit like Toothless. Astrid was standing next to him, her head twice as big as her body, and riding on top of a large scribble that looked a bit like Stormfly. Kara had drawn herself in the middle with a gigantic smile on her face that seemed to stretch, quite literally, from ear to ear.

As he walked into the house, that drawing seemed to put a knife through his heart. For years, it had made him smile fondly but now… now he longed for the days long ago when she had first drawn that picture. How he wanted to pick her up and take her home where he and Astrid would be there for her to hear about what had made her cry. But those days were long gone.

Kara was sitting in the other corner, staring at the walls but not really seeing them. She seemed very far away, in her own little world that he had once been a part of… but not so much anymore. In fact, she reminded him of someone, of something that had happened years ago, before she was born.

_He had never seen Astrid stare into space like that. She usually was intensely focused on the here and now but she was far away this time. And Hiccup thought he knew exactly why. He took a few steps toward her and sat down next to her._

"_It wasn't your fault." He said quietly._

"Yes it was." Kara snapped, scooting sideways so that he wasn't too close to her. "The knife was meant for me."

"Saving you was her choice to make." He said, not raising his voice in the slightest. "If I hadn't been so far away, I would have done it myself."

"_Just go away." Astrid muttered as she curled her arms around her knees. "Leave me alone."_

_Hiccup shook his head, patiently scooting himself so that he was closer to his wife. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why you nearly knocked Ruffnut out."_

"_She was bothering me."_

"_Bothering you? Astrid, she didn't say anything!"_

"I don't care!" Kara shrieked, now standing up and turning her back to me. "He deserved what he got. Maybe next time he'll leave me alone."

"You don't mean that." Hiccup shook his head and stood up, taking a few steps toward her. "You're just angry."

"_Damn right, I'm angry!" Astrid cried. "I killed our baby!"_

"_No." Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder. "No, Astrid, you didn't. You didn't do anything wrong. Things like this happen sometimes."_

"_No they don't!" Astrid turned around, forcing him to drop his hand. "Can't you see that I just want to be left alone?"_

"I can see that." Hiccup replied calmly, staring at Kara's slowly reddening face. "But I'm not going anywhere until you deal with what happened."

There was a long pause. Kara's breathing was making an odd hissing noise but Hiccup didn't react. He didn't blink. He continued to stare at her, his arm outstretched.

"How can you be so calm?" Kara asked after a few minutes.

Hiccup smiled grimly at this. "Oh Kara, I'm barely holding it together…"

"_No you're not!" Astrid screamed suddenly, hitting him on the shoulder. "You act like nothing ever happened! Like this baby never existed!"_

"_You don't mean that, Astrid."_

"Yes I do!" Kara bellowed. "Just go, just leave me! I killed mom, you should _hate_ me!"

"But I don't hate you." Hiccup said gently. "I could never hate you. You're my daughter."

"Shut up!" Kara shouted, punching him on the shoulder again.

"I love you, Kara."

"_Shut up!" Astrid screamed, taking a few steps back and nearly falling over the couch._

"_I could never do that. I love you so much…"_

"I said shut up!" Kara kicked him, which almost made him lose his balance, but still he approached, his arms outstretched.

"I love you, Kara."

He was only a foot away from her. She began to beat her fists against his chest, but tears were fighting their way out of her eyes. He closed his arms around her body as she finally crumpled in his arms, sobbing loudly.

"_Shhhh." Hiccup stroked Astrid's hair. "It's going to be okay."_

_But Astrid's wails only grew louder, drowning out everything in the room, even his thoughts. He continued to hold her for so long, the sun had set by the time her eyes were dry._

"I'm so sorry, baby." Hiccup whispered to his daughter, tears falling from his own eyes now. "I never wanted this for you."

But Kara couldn't speak. It was as if a dam had burst and all of the emotions from the last few days came rushing through. But Hiccup knew that no matter how long it took, he would be there. As long as he lived, he would always be there for his little girl.

_**And that's all that was written for **__**Resting Place**__**! But here's how it would have continued. I didn't specify before but Matilda is Camgar's sister. She and Sven would have somehow begun a secret romantic relationship Romeo and Juliet style. In the last battle, Matilda is killed by Camgar in her attempt to save Sven and Sven reacts about the same way Hiccup reacted to Astrid dying. Camgar is shocked that he killed his sister and Kara speaks up, telling the Outcast and Berserker army that this war is, essentially meaningless. Too many people have died, too many people have lost family members. It's time to end it. Everyone but Camgar agrees and he is dragged away screaming and cursing. This causes Hiccup and Stoick to realize that Kara will definitely be a good chief one day. Matilda's son Leif is raised by Sven.**_

_**And that would have been the end! Can you see why it would be almost impossible for me to write! I hope the segments I gave you were good.**_

_**Thank you to everyone who supported this story from the beginning. All my other stories wouldn't have happened without support for my very first. Even though this one is officially over, I'm not done writing about Hiccup and Astrid as parents! I'm in the middle of a delightful little story called **__**Little Miracles**__** in which they're raising twins! I have a much clearer plan for that story and I actually will end up using a few ideas from this one.**_

_**Also, if anyone would like to write their own ending for this story, have at it! Feel free to use any characters you want in your own stories if you'd like. Just let me know first.**_

_**Thanks again for reading and I'll see you around!**_

_**~KateMarie999**_


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